JOB TIPS

How to find a job?
You went to school, studied hard, and received your certification. What do you do next?
Here is some advice I can give you on your next step to finding the perfect job.

The following adaptation from Richard Bolles's "What Color Is Your Parachute?" demonstrates what has changed -- and what hasn't changed -- in the art and science of looking for a job that suits your interests and skills.

The Five Best Ways to Find a Job

1. Ask for job leads from family members, friends, people in the community, and staff at career centers. Ask them this one simple question: Do you know of any jobs in my field? That method has a 33% success rate.

2. Knock on the doors of any employers, factories, or offices that interest you, whether or not they have vacancies. That method has a 47% success rate.

3. Use the Yellow Pages to identify areas that interest you in or near the town or city where you live and then call the employers in that field to find out whether they are hiring for the position that you can do -- and do well. That method has a 69% success rate.

4. In a group with other job hunters, implement method #3 (above). That method has an 84% success rate.

5. Do thorough homework on yourself. Know your best skills, in order of priority. Know the fields in which you want to use those skills. Talk to people who have those kinds of jobs. Find out whether they're happy, and how they found their jobs. Then choose the places where you want to work, rather than just those places that have advertised job openings. Thoroughly research these organizations before approaching them. Seek out the person who actually has the power to hire you for the job that you want. Demonstrate to that person how you can help the company with its problems. Cut no corners; take no shortcuts. That method has an 86% success rate.

The Five Worst Ways to Find a Job

1. Randomly mail out resumes to employers. That method has a 7% success rate. (One study revealed that there is one job offer for every 1,470 resumes floating around out there. Another study puts the figure even higher -- one job offer for every 1,700 resumes.)

2. Answer ads in professional or trade journals appropriate to your field. That method also has only a 7% success rate.

3. Answer ads in newspapers in other parts of the state or country. That method has a 10% success rate.

4. Answer ads in local newspapers. That method has a 5% to 24% success rate. (The higher the salary, the smaller the chance of finding a job using that method.)

5. Go to private employment agencies for help. This method also has a 5% to 24% success rate; again, depending on the salary you want. (In a recent study, 27.8% of female job hunters found jobs within two months by going to private employment agencies.)

Commentary

First, jobs today are temporary. You don't know how long your job is going to last. Thirty years ago, before the onslaught of downsizing and such, you could count on spending your working life at the same job. Second, jobs today are really seminars. Change is happening so rapidly that you've got to pay close attention and learn. Third, today's jobs are essentially adventures. You never know what's going to happen next. And fourth, you must find job satisfaction in the work itself. Your self-esteem must come from doing the work rather than from some hoped-for promotion, pay raise, or other reward -- which may never materialize. Fortunately, that dim outlook is not universally true: Some organizations appreciate, praise, and celebrate their employees, but not as many as there once were -- especially not when an organization has more than 50 employees.

Also, forget about what people say about the economy. If the economy is bad and you have a job, then technically the economy is good for you. If the economy is good but you don't have a job then the economy is bad.
Remember the only economy that matters is your economy.

I hope this section helps and good
luck with your job search.